The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 30, 2000
Filed:
Feb. 19, 1998
Hans T Clarke, Berlin, MA (US);
Anthony G Liepert, Lincoln, MA (US);
Varian, Inc., Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
A tip seal for use in a scroll-type vacuum pump includes a seal element and an energizer element affixed to the seal element. The scroll-type vacuum pump includes first and second scroll blades that are nested together to define one or more interblade pockets, and an eccentric drive that produces orbiting movement of the first scroll blade relative to the second scroll blade. At least one of the first and second scroll blades has a seal groove along an edge thereof. The tip seal is positioned in the seal groove between the first and second scroll blades. The energizer element is formed of a resilient material having multiple compressible voids, so that the energizer element having compressible voids is more compressible than the resilient material alone, when confined by the seal groove. In one embodiment, the energizer element is a foam such as a low porosity urethane foam. In another embodiment, the energizer element is an elastomer material having a predetermined pattern of voids.